In the art of manufacturing premium cigars a problem often encountered is the atmospheric changes to which the cigar, and in particular the outer cigar wrapper leaf, is subjected between the factory and the ultimate point of distribution to the consumer.
In many instances the cigar will be subjected to a variety of atmospheric conditions which gradually tend to dry out the wrapper leaf causing the wrapper leaf to become brittle and lose flexibility and resulting in the loss of the preferred feel which cigar smokers look for as indicative of a fresh cigar.
Various packaging systems have been devised including cellophane wrap and the like, in order to slow the drying process and provide cigars with a longer shelf life, or time from manufacture to ultimate use by the consumer, in which the cigar will maintain a fresh feel.
It has been nevertheless found that unless an extremely expensive packaging system is employed which serves to effectively isolate a fresh cigar from the changes in atmospheric conditions, cigars packaged in a normal fashion using cellophane wrap or similar such materials will gradually lose that degree of moisture which is normally thought necessary to affect the freshness and feel desired by the smoking public.
In addition, in many areas of the world, such as for instance, Spain, and the countries of Latin America cigars are preferentially not marketed in a protective wrapper, such as cellophane or other wrapping materials, but rather are boxed in the unwrapped state which is preferred by the smoking public in those countries.
It has, therefore, been found desirable to develop a treatment for natural leaf tobacco wrapper which is incorporated into a cigar product which will allow the resultant cigar wrapper to maintain a fresh feel and taste even after being subjected to drying conditions, even when subsequently wrapped with cellophane or the like. Preferentially, such treated cigars will be able to enjoy an enhanced shelf life even when marketed in the exposed unwrapped condition and yet still maintain the feel and taste associated with a fresh cigar.
Various methods have been suggested by the art for treating tobacco. However, none are directed specifically to the treatment of natural leaf tobacco wrappers for cigars incorporating the specific combination of components utilized in the present invention.
Exemplary of the state of the art of the various methods for treating tobacco products are the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,029,494 which issued Feb. 4, 1936 to Loewenthal relates to the treatment of tobacco to improve its appearance and smoking qualities wherein gums, oils, nicotine and other mineral matters are removed from the tobacco leaves which are then impregnated with organic matter and mineral matter to give the tobacco the proper flavor and burning properties. Subsequent to treatment in a hot nitric acid bath leaves, suitable for use as a cigar wrapper, may be subjected to a glycerine treatment and subsequently dried.
This method basically represents a reconstitution scheme which is not economically feasible since it results in excessive additional costs in the manufacture of tobacco products. Furthermore, the intended purpose and benefits to be derived in using a glycerine treatment is not defined in the invention disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,745,775 which issued on May 15, 1956 to Freund et al. is directed to a method for conditioning tobacco products utilizing lactositol as a conditioning humectant.
There is no disclosure of the primary object of the present invention which is plasticization of a natural leaf tobacco wrapper. Furthermore, the use of glycerine and propylene glycol are mentioned only in the context that they should not be utilized for such applications since they suffer from the disadvantages described by Freund et al.'s teaching. Glycerine, in particular, is noted as giving rise to irritating combustion products which not only adversely affect the general smoking quality but also act upon the flavoring ingredients in the butt portion of the tobacco product, thus undesirably altering the smoking characteristics during the latter stages of the smoking period.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,916 which issued on Jan. 8, 1957 to Ericsson is directed to an improved tobacco composition and in particular to an improved tobacco composition involving the use of inorganics as humectants. This teaching specifically excludes the use of glycerine, propylene glycol and the like as tobacco additives.
Contrary to the teachings of this reference it has now been found that the coating of the wrapper leaf with glycerine and/or propylene glycol, at appropriate levels, does not yield the negative attributes which are complained of in distinguishing the inorganic humectant approach taught by Ericsson.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,057 which issued on Mar. 21, 1967 to Savage relates to a process for stabilizing tobacco against discoloration during the manufacture of a reconstituted tobacco product.
In carrying out the process of this teaching, a hydrophobic polymer is utilized which is synthesized using glycerine or propylene glycol as a starting material.
The approach taken by Savage is basically different from that disclosed and claimed in the present invention which relies upon the use of a polyol, such as the glycerine or propylene glycol component, which requires some degree of water solubility in order to affect the desired treatment method.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,546 which issued on Sept. 26, 1967 to Detert et al. relates to a process for the manufacture of a saliva resistant tobacco sheet which is very resistant toward mechanical stress when in the moist condition.
In contradistinction, the natural leaf tobacco wrapper which has been treated in accordance with the present disclosure will result in a cigar wrapper which will pick up moisture, such as saliva, from the smoker's mouth faster than would be normally expected and would not result in a water resistant wrapper as is disclosed by Detert et al.
In addition, in the present invention water from smoker's saliva also acts as a plasticization agent and the smoker is less likely to notice a fragile wrapper and thus experiences a more pleasant mouthfeel as well.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,169 which issued on Jan. 28, 1969 to Moren et al. provides for a process for preparing reconstituted tobacco in sheet form and deals with the use of a polymeric alcohol, such as propylene glycol, as a means of adjusting the gelling temperature of the cellulosic gum.
There is no teaching in this reference of the use of such a material in the context of a humectant/plasticizer for natural leaf tobacco wrapper as is taught in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,743 which issued on Oct. 20, 1970 to Monte is directed to a reconstituted tobacco material with a hydrophobic coating of a high viscosity nitrocellulose. This basically differs from the approach taken in the present invention which is directed to a coating/impregnation process involving the plasticization of the wrapper leaf which is achieved quickly and employs the use of water soluble materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,663 which issued on Aug. 29, 1978 to Maeda et al. is directed to a smoking product which is produced by incorporating into a smoking material a polysaccharide, either as the sole smoking material or as its partial replacement. While glycerine, propylene glycol and similar materials are mentioned in this disclosure as having been employed in tobacco products, there is no teaching of the advantages to be achieved by utilizing the treatment system described and claimed in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,135 which issued on Feb. 20, 1979 to Godfrey, Jr. is directed to a coated tobacco product having a hydrophobic coating comprising a cellulose propionate. The coating composition is applied to a reconstituted tobacco product in a volatile solvent in order to form a water resistant hydrophobic film.
This approach is again basically different from that of the present invention which seeks to impart a treatment system to a natural leaf tobacco wrapper which results in a wrapper having improved characteristics at low moisture and which is not in fact water resistant.
None of the foregoing prior art teachings suggest either the method or the treatment system which is the subject of the present invention, which involves the treatment of natural leaf tobacco wrapper to improve resistance to breakage and to provide enhanced taste when such natural leaf tobacco wrapper is exposed to low humidity conditions.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a treatment system for natural leaf tobacco wrapper which provides the natural leaf tobacco wrapper with the feel of a fresh tobacco leaf wrapper, even under low humidity conditions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a treatment system which yields a natural leaf tobacco wrapper under low humidity conditions which is substantially less brittle than a similar untreated natural leaf tobacco wrapper exposed to the same low humidity conditions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for a method for the treatment of natural leaf tobacco wrapper which allows one to easily treat such natural leaf tobacco wrapper in order to effectively reduce the brittleness of such a wrapper under low humidity conditions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a treated natural leaf tobacco wrapper which has improved resistance to breakage and enhanced taste when exposed to low humidity conditions as compared to a similar wrapper which has not been treated in accordance with the method of the present invention.
These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of the invention.